The present invention relates to a termination of those employed for finishing the free extremity of a tape, generally manufactured on a basis of nylon or similar, whereby a substantial reduction is achieved in costs for the fastening of the termination to the tape, as well as a possibility of regulation in position for said termination.
The invention is applicable within the sphere of backpacks, handbags, cyclists"" helmets, etc., in which tapes of the type mentioned above are used, as harnesses, means of fastening, means of closing, etc.
The tapes for the applications mentioned above or others similar, come in a fabric structure, participating generally as base material in the constitution thereof nylon thread or other synthetic similar products, with or without the admixture of natural products, and as common denominator all of them require their free end to be finished in a termination which, as well as finishing the tape decoratively, impedes the fraying thereof and especially permits its coupling with other parts of the object on which it is fitted.
One of the commonly adopted solutions for implementing this termination, generally of plastic material, consists in providing said termination with a housing for the extremity of the tape, into which the latter is introduced and is subsequently fixed with the collaboration of a stitching process, which has to be sufficiently robust to endow the termination with a certain resistance to pulling. This solution has a fundamental problem in the cost of the stitching operation which has a considerable impact on the cost of the end product. Even in some cases, such as life jackets and in infants"" chairs, it is necessary to position the entire finished product on the stitching table, since the tape stitching process takes place at the end of the production cycle. This, doubtless, augments even more the manufacturing cost.
Another solution consists in fastening the termination to the tape by means of the employment of rivets or similar, in which case the plastic piece is usually in the material form of two parts which adapt to the respective faces of the tape and which are finally fastened with one or more rivets, which also makes necessary the employment of machines for implanting the rivets in question, both in the case mentioned and in a further solution existing in this respect consisting in folding back the end of the tape on itself configuring a hem which is fixed with the rivets mentioned.
Another problem inherent to any of the solutions indicated above, lies in the fact that the termination is rigidly fixed to the end of the tape, there being no possibility of adjusting the effective length of said tape, in such a manner that in order to achieve the adjustment mentioned it is necessary to provide the tape, together with the termination mentioned, with another auxiliary mechanism which permits such adjustment.
The termination which is proposed by the invention overcomes in a fully satisfactory manner the problems outlined above, in the different aspects mentioned, constituting a structurally simple solution, very easy to assemble, which acts simultaneously as a means of adjusting the effective length of the tape, adjustment which can not only be implemented in manufacture but also throughout the period during which the tape is employed by the user thereof.
To this end and in more specific form, the termination which is proposed is implemented by means of a plastic piece which configures a type of clamp, of width in accordance with that of the tape for which it is intended, clamp in which participate two bodies, noticeably flat, connected to each other to form a unit by means of an intervening articulating hinge, obtained on a basis of weakened sectors in the region of union between the two bodies, each one of which configures a type of shallow cup, each of these incorporating also, in the bottom of each, a slot through which the tape passes, parallel and relatively close to said hinge, the slots of one and the other body being noticeably different in width and being provided with toothed edges, the teeth of which are directed towards the inside of the clamp, in such a manner that the teeth of one body are slightly offset with respect to those of the other in order to define in the tape a slight inflection in its path which enhances the gripping effect.
As a complement to the structure described one of the two bodies incorporates on its side edges respective claws, saw-tooth in outline, intended for insertion in internal and complementary recesses of the other body, when the coupling between the two takes place, with the interposition of the tape, said claws acting as a means of locking for the clamp in the closed position, which permit a straightforward assembly thereof on the tape and which guarantee perfect stability of the termination with respect thereto.
Moreover, each of the bodies mentioned presents, in correspondence with its edge opposite the hinge, an internal rim, in such a manner that these rims exercise in turn a pinching effect on the tape.
In accordance with this construction the end of the tape rests against the inside face of one of the bodies, emerges to the outside through the corresponding slot, passes behind the hinge towards the slot of the second body, penetrates inside said second body and is perfectly fastened when the clamp is closed especially through the effect of the complementary teeth, whilst by performing the closure of said clamp by means of a male-female coupling which permits the subsequent opening thereof, the user may at any time adjust at will the effective length of the tape, up to the point where the termination may even not be closed in manufacture leaving it at the option of the user to position it directly at the location on the tape which he prefers and in this eventuality cut off the segment of tape in excess.